9:10am Thursday 10th December 2009
By Adrianne Maslen
BOOKING a table at Lal Qilla Indian restaurant in Lyme Regis is essential any day of the week as the tiny restaurant in Broad Street almost always has a full house.
We visited on a Saturday night and were lucky to get a table for nine people, squeezing into our seats as a queue of people waited hopefully for a table.
The welcome was warm and friendly – as always – in this authentic restaurant with its dark red décor and Indian music playing unobtrusively in the background.
We handed over our bottles of wine and beer to be stored in the fridge, as this is a ‘bring your own booze’ restaurant, a definite plus as it makes a huge difference to your bill.
As the restaurant was so packed, we waited too long to place our orders and eventually had to call a waiter over.
The menu is diverse, with all the usual Masala, Balti, and Biryani dishes, rices, breads and dips, plus a few chef’s specials including the Lal Qilla chicken Romantica, which I opted for.
It was poppadums all round to start, with plenty of dips and it was no trouble to ask for more.
While placing the order may have taken a bit longer than you would expect, the arrival of the food was very quick and it was kept piping hot while we ate on small open pots with tea light candles burning inside.
My order, the chicken Romantica – plus a pilau rice and garlic naan bread to share – lived up to the expectations I had having smelled the fantastic aromas filling the place.
Romantica is a mild and fruity curry, incorporating bananas, mango and cream in the sauce, with just the right amount of kick.
One friend ordered the chicken Shaslick, a dry dish that arrives sizzling on a hotplate, served with mint yoghurt and salad. The look and smell of it made the rest of the table jealous and the reality did not disappoint.
Other dishes included a Madras, which was a bit hotter than expected, a Ceylon, which also had plenty of heat, and a mild but well flavoured Korma for the not-so-adventurous.
Dessert was not even an option after such a filling and satisfying main meal, so the mint chocolates that came with the bill just about hit the spot.
The arrival of the bill was not at all painful, with a meal for nine people costing just £99.55. * Lal Qilla, 61 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, 01297 444602. Open every day from 6pm to 11pm.
My section of the Lal Qilla bill:
Chicken Romantica: £7.95
Pilau rice: £2.25
Garlic naan: £2.30
Poppadums (2): £0.83
Sag Aloo: £3.25
TOTAL: £16.58
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